“The value of life can be measured by how many times your soul has been deeply stirred.” Soichiro Honda
How do you measure your life’s value? Has your soul been stirred recently? In what way?
(Many thanks to Eleanore and Christina for our topic today. Again, so many of you gave me such good topic ideas. No doubt I will use some of them in the future. For next week, I will need a topic starting with “W” so please leave your ideas under comment. Many thanks to all who read this blog!)
In an industrial country like ours, society puts great value on success that can be seen in terms of products, popularity, or rankings. We are considered successful when we make lots of money, own a large house, live in the more expensive parts of town, or have a prestigious job.
What rarely if ever defines success is how kind a person we are or how well we care for ourselves internally. Of course, we each have our own value system that determines what we like or don’t like about ourselves.
Don’t Rely On Others Opinions
Bernard Hopkins says, “If you don’t know your own value, somebody will tell you your value, and it’ll be less than you’re worth.” Now, that’s pretty negative. Yet many of us rely too much on what others think of us and we need to remember that their assessment of us may not always be accurate.
I remember the time when I had an injury to my ankle and could walk about, but only with difficulty. A friend drove us to a lecture. She chose to park away from the event instead of parking right in front of the hall where there were places available.
I reminded her that it was hard for me to walk and asked her if she could move the car to a closer place. It made her mad and she made a disparaging remark to me. Although she did a lot of good work in the community, there was also a part of her that had always to be right and strong.
While she saw me as someone who was playing helpless, I didn’t buy into her projection. I saw myself as making the wise decision, not putting unnecessary stress on my healing ankle. I valued myself enough to speak up even when I knew it would not be appreciated. In the end, she moved the car while grumbling.
Our True Self At Soul Level
To find our real value, we must get in touch with our soul. It is at our deepest and most valuable level. We must allow ourselves to be touched at that level beyond emotion. Recently, I experienced much pain as a result of a spinal procedure. During this time, I often became so angry or upset that I had to stop and meditate and calm down because I knew I was not making the situation better.
When I did take those quiet moments, my soul was stirred. I felt for a moment that I would be all right. As the days with less pain arrived, I felt a little thrill, and thanked God. My soul seemed to be telling me, “You will be okay.” And now I am doing well. I have only a few aches in the area around the surgery, but never any sharpness.
Others May Uplift Us
Recently, hearing about a woman who had gone through terrible experiences in a communist country and in an early marriage, I found myself in tears because of the beauty of the courage she had shown. I was more than happy to discover the story had an uplifting ending. My soul as well as my emotions were touched by this story.
When our soul is touched, a part of us opens, unhampered by what the people around us think or even by our own negative reflections. The more we are touched at this level, the more we can see our true and beautiful value.
May your soul be stirred today.
© 2021 Georganne Spruce
Related Blog Posts:
AWAKENING TO THE VALUE OF CHANGE
AWAKENING TO OUR SOUL’S GARDEN
Awakening to the Dance 